LGBTQ+ singer Omar Apollo confirmed that he’s starring in Luca Guadagnino’s upcoming film Queer alongside Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, Attitude noted. On Instagram, he wrote: “1st movie with Luca, wow hot ass cast.” The film focuses on William Lee (Craig), who becomes obsessed with a younger man (Starkey) in Mexico City. Adapted from William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella Naked Lunch, the film has been written by Challengers‘ screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes. It’s slated to debut at the 2024 Venice Film Festival later this year.
Parade released its list of the 25 best LGBTQ+ romantic movies. Moonlight took the top slot, with Carol, Weekend, Call Me By Your Name and God’s Own Country completing the top five. Some of the other films on the list are The Crying Game (#5), Brokeback Mountain (#10), Fire Island (#13), The Handmaiden (#17) and Ammonite (#24).
Queer comedian Punkie Johnson is leaving SNL after four seasons, per Deadline. Ahead of the show’s 50th season, Johnson revealed the news during a comedy show and recently confirmed it on Instagram. “It’s no bad blood, it’s no bridges burnt, it’s no hard feelings,” she said on Instagram. “SNL was a dream I didn’t even know I could achieve. I was part of one of the most elite institutions in comedy, and I’m so grateful for it … but my time there has come to an end.” She was the show’s eighth Black female cast member and only the second Black LGBTQ+ woman following Danitra Vance, who was not out when she was on the show.
Ryan Reynolds and his Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy revealed on Andy Cohen’s SiriusXM radio show (via People) that they met with Madonna in person in order to secure the rights to use “Like a Prayer” in the Marvel movie, Variety noted. Not only did Madonna allow Reynolds and the movie’s team to use “Like a Prayer,” but she also offered a note on how it should be used—although he didn’t reveal specifically what that note was, although he said it was “great.” “We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this note. … It made the sequence better,” Levy added. In addition to Madonna, the film’s soundtrack includes songs from *NSYNC, The Goo Goo Dolls, Fergie, Avril Lavigne, Aretha Franklin, Green Day and the Hugh Jackman-starring musical The Greatest Showman, among other tracks.
Speaking of Madonna, she has had a surprise resurgence on the Billboard charts with her 1987 hit “Who’s That Girl?,” according to Queerty. The track already went to #1 back in the day, but recently debuted at #9 in Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales—her eighth Top 10 on these specific charts. In the ‘80s, the song became her sixth #1 single on the Billboard charts, breaking several records. It also earned a Best Original Song nod from the Golden Globes and was among the nominees for “Best Song Written for Visual Media” at the Grammys, as well.
And speaking of Deadpool & Wolverine, nonbinary actor Emma Corrin portrays formidable bald telepath Cassandra Nova, literally digging into their brains with her digits, Yahoo! News noted. Corrin reveled in being evil for a change after playing Princess Diana in The Crown and and Gen Z hacker/detective Darby Hart in A Murder at the End of the World. “The twinkle in her eye and the flippancy in which she sort of destroys people and feels whatever, that’s really fun,” said Corrin. In the comic books and the new film, Nova is the twin sister of X-Men leader Charles Xavier, who’s been played over the years by Patrick Stewart first and then James McAvoy.
LGBTQ+ mogul Barry Diller confirmed he is out of the running for Paramount Global, Deadline noted. During an interview in Paris with CNBC before the opening of the Summer Olympics, Diller said of the $8 billion transaction, “It’s hard to predict, but I think it is over. It is unwise to get in an auction with someone who has a pretty much unlimited balance sheet,” referring to Larry Ellison—the Oracle billionaire and father of Skydance CEO David Ellison. Diller’s company, IAC, had been exploring a bid during the 45-day “go-shop” period provided for in the merger deal announced by Skydance Media and Paramount’s controlling shareholder, National Amusements.
During an interview with Melinda French Gates for her “Moments That Make Us” series, Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King spoke about their high-profile friendship as the duo shot down the years-long rumor of them possibly dating, according to Fox 10. “For years, people used to say we were gay,” Winfrey said. “We were up against that for forever.” King recalled telling Winfrey in the interview, ”I used to say, ‘You got to do a show on this.’ Because it’s hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night with people thinking we’re gay.”
Canadian singer Grimes—who is also Elon Musk’s ex—has sided with his transgender daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, Yahoo! noted. Grimes is the latest Elon Musk critic, joining a growing number of people displeased by his “my son is dead” claims despite Wilson’s existence. On X (which Musk owns), the musician posted, “I love and am forever endlessly proud of Vivian” and “God gave us hands to build cathedrals, rockets to the moon. It’s clearly divine to make use of God’s greatest gift to humanity, which is creativity.” Grimes’ support for Wilson came a day after she called out her father for spreading false claims about her.
Laura Jane Grace & the Mississippi Medicals—the new rock quartet fronted by trans musician Grace and featuring Matt Patton of Drive-By Truckers (bass), Mikey Erg of The Ergs (drums) and Paris Campbell Grace (vocals, percussion)—announced the Sept. 6 release of the band’s debut EP, Give an Inch, per a press release. The album’s six tracks include “Karma Too Close,” M*A*S*H” and “RazorBlade Blues,” among others. Additionally, Laura Jane Grace & the Mississippi Medicals announced headline dates across most of the U.S. during September, including a special appearance at Chicago’s Riot Fest on Sept. 20-22 that will feature Grace fronting the Philadelphia ska band Catbite for an Operation Ivy-themed set.
After a European run, global rock icons Green Day—led by LGBTQ+ musician Billie Joe Armstrong, along with Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool—officially kicked off the North American leg of their massive global stadium Saviors Tour in D.C. at Nationals Park to a crowd of more than 41,000+ people, per a press release. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the album Dookie and the 20th anniversary of American Idiot, the band played both albums in their entirety along with cuts from their latest studio album, Saviors. A few of the other stops on the tour (which ends Sept. 28 in San Diego) include Chicago (Aug. 13 at Wrigley Field), Minneapolis, Nashville, Denver, Montreal and San Francisco.
Lady Gaga and her longtime boyfriend, entrepreneur/tech investor Michael Polansky, are engaged to be married, she revealed to French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to People. In a TikTok posted by Attal on July 28, Gaga can be heard introducing Polansky as “my fiancé” as the trio spectated a swimming event together. In January 2021, when Gaga was invited to perform at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in D.C., Polansky was by her side; at the time, she introduced him as her boyfriend.
A new live album from Fleetwood Mac has been announced, and it will be available Sept. 20, per NME. Rhino Records announced the new live album, titled Mirage Tour ’82. The album, per its namesake, is made up of tracks recorded during the band’s Mirage tour across several dates in 1982. The 22-track album will also include six previously unreleased recordings that were tracked at the band’s two concerts at the Forum in Los Angeles that year. These six songs include “Don’t Stop,” “Dreams,” “Oh Well,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Landslide” and “Sara.”
Queer DJ The Blessed Madonna announced the release of her debut album, Godspeed, arriving Oct. 11, per a Warner Bros press release. A few of the album’s 24 tracks include “Jinterlude,” “Serotonin Moonbeams,” “Edge of Saturday Night” (featuring Kylie Minogue), “Nowhere Fast” and the title track (featuring DJ E-Clyps). “Godspeed: the word marks the beginning of a journey and sometimes the end of one,” The Blessed Madonna said. “After nearly a year in lockdown, when I signed the paperwork and knew that I was going to be allowed to make this album, I called my dad in Kentucky to tell him the good news. He could not contain his pride and in a way his relief. I was going to be ok. He says it better than I do at the beginning of the record. I lost him suddenly just weeks before the first session, but his voice will live in Godspeed forever and make a million more journeys to everyone who hears it.”
A Doctor Who spinoff starring out British actor Russell Tovey (Looking) has been set, per Deadline. The BBC and Disney+ have ordered The War Between The Land And The Sea, a five-part spinoff series starring Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw alongside existing Doctor Who stars Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient. The War Between The Land And The Sea focuses on military organization UNIT. When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, an international crisis is triggered; with the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.
American Idol season-four winner and eight-time Grammy winner Carrie Underwood will succeed Katy Perry as a judge on the eighth season of the rebooted show, per a press release. Music icons Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will return for their eighth consecutive season as judges, and longtime host Ryan Seacrest will also be back when the show premieres in spring 2025 for the franchise’s 23rd overall season. Also, “Idol Across America” auditions will be held in August and September; for more info, visit www.americanidol.com/auditions.
Universal Pictures won the rights to Britney Spears’ #1 New York Times best-seller The Woman in Me, which Wicked filmmaker Jon M. Chu is attached to develop to direct, Deadline noted. Chu was also behind the concert movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, Step Up 2: The Streets and In the Heights. The tell-all book follows Spears’ road to stardom and how she has defined herself through the twists and turns of life. The book sold more than 2.5M copies stateside across hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats.
Holt McCallany (The Iron Claw; Mindhunter) will star in the new Netflix family drama series The Waterfront, from out gay writer/EP Kevin Williamson, per Deadline. Inspired by true events, The Waterfront dives into the Buckley family as it attempts to retain control of its crumbling North Carolina fishing empire—and those efforts drive them to increasingly dangerous means to keep themselves afloat.
Darren Criss took to social media to reveal that Elsie Fest will return on Sept., per Broadway World. (No lineup has been announced for the event, which was last held in 2021.) Elsie Fest is Broadway’s outdoor music festival featuring stars and songs of the stage and screen. Some of the festival’s past performers have included Lea Michele, Cynthia Erivo,, Evan Rachel Wood,, Leslie Odom Jr., Aaron Tveit (Grease: Live, Next To Normal), Tituss Burgess and Megan Hilty.
Lil Nas X had a potent response for people roasting him on social media because he flew on a commercial flight, per BuzzFeed. On X, the out rapper posted, “to all u bitches calling me broke for flying on a regular plane i don’t wanna see not one viral carbon footprint tweet when yall see my ass on a jet.” Also, People also thought it was wild that he was mocked for flying commercial, remembering how celebrities like Taylor Swift and Kylie Jenner were previously criticized for their use of private jets; Jennifer Lopez was also recently mocked for taking a commercial flight.
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor’s official cause of death has been revealed—a year after she passed, according to People. The Irish Independent reported—citing the Grammy winner’s death certificate—that her death resulted from “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection.” On July 24, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer’s death was formally registered by her former husband John Reynolds in London.
Disgraced singer R. Kelly is appealing his federal sex-crimes convictions to the Supreme Court, pressing a statute of limitations argument that an appeals court rejected, MSNBC noted. The appeal stems from his conviction in Chicago for producing child pornography and enticing minors to engage in sexual activity, for which he was sentenced to 20 years. (Another case that’s under a separate pending appeal is centered in New York, where he was sentenced to 30 years, although 19 years of the two sentences are set to be served concurrently.) In his petition to the justices, Kelly’s attorneys claim that he was wrongly prosecuted retroactively under a federal law that they argue bars charges related to his conduct in the 1990s and early 2000s.